The invention relates to plastic containers in general, and more specifically, to a plastic container with pre-filled liquid medication for oral administration.
Some of the most effective types of containers are those manufactured from plastic. Plastic containers are capable of storing many different types of materials, and are especially effective for medicines. Because plastic can be molded into almost any shape, certain medicines can be sold and stored along with an applicator, such as a dropper.
One of the most convenient methods of administering medicine in small amounts is to package the medicine in a pre-filled, pre-determined amount. This not only makes the administering of the medicine easier, but also helps insure against accidental over-dosing. Unfortunately, many medicines are still packaged and stored by older, conventional means. Obviously, if there were some way of packaging, storing and administering low-dose medicine, in an easy-to-use manner, it would be beneficial to many people.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that possess the novelty of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Phillips in U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,662 teaches a drug delivery device that has a reservoir holding medicine for delivery to a patient. The device has a conduit with one end coupled to the reservoir and a free end to position within the fornix of a patient""s eye. Through gravity and capillary action, the medicine flows into the eye with a rate of delivery adjusted according to the size and material of the conduit, The invention has the reservoir made of an absorbent material provided with an impermeable backing which acts as a barrier. In the preferred embodiment, the backing has an adhesive for attaching to the eye of the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,837 issued to Firestone, et al. is for a packaged pharmaceutical product having an extended shelf life and includes a container consisting of a hollow body with an open end. The body wall thickness enables drop-by-drop dispensing of a medicine by manually squeezing the container body. A tip is fixed to the body to form droplets for application.
Lifshey in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,067 discloses an ophthalmic storage and dispensing device formed by injection molding, consisting of a vial with thick rigid walls and a limited flexible area. The flexible area allows only a small displacement when squeezed, providing a metered volume of liquid. The tip has a integral-molded puncture membrane to provide sealing.
Firestone, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,273 teaches a barrier package that includes a container with a hollow body and an open end having a body thickness which enables a drop-by-drop dispensing of a medicant by manually squeezing the container. A dropper tip is fixed to the open end and forms droplets upon manual squeezing of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,020 issued to Mosley is for an eye drop dispenser and dispensing sleeve. The dropper has a liquid reservoir portion and a dispensing end with a dropper orifice. Part of the reservoir is resilient and a dispensing sleeve circumscribes the dropper tube with a pair of legs that extend beyond the end of the tube. The legs are adapted to fit against the orbital areas of an eye to support the dropper over the eye for application of the liquid.
Fennimore in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,744 discloses a packaging device for light and oxygen sensitive liquid which includes a dropper spout. The vessel itself is sealed within a gas impermeable envelope under vacuum.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related, reference may be made to the remaining cited patents issued to Poynter, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,676 and Goldberg, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,659.
Liquid medicine doses are typically administered using one of three measured quantities: teaspoon, cup or dropper. The dosing amounts are listed on a table located on the outside of a carton or bottle for a given age and/or weight of a person, with the table normally specifying the correct dose. Because of differing methods of administration and the range of doses, the tables can be difficult for the end user to understand. The three delivery methods used for oral medications are as follows:
A spoon is the traditional method of delivery where the user fills the spoon with the prescribed amount of liquid and inserts the spoon into a patient""s mouth. The advantage of this method is that spoons are convenient, standardized in size and relatively sterile as they are normally cleaned after each use. A disadvantage is that spoons are shallow, thus making it difficult to not spill the liquid when pouring out the proper amount. Perhaps more importantly, it may be very troublesome to convey the liquid into an unwilling child""s mouth without spilling at least some or all of the medication in the process.
Sensing the need for a delivery method that allows administering medication away from the home, manufacturers began marketing products that included a plastic cup with the packaging of the medication. The plastic cup included calibration marks corresponding to the recommended doses and could be reused after washing. The advantage of this system is that it may be used at any location, it is accurate, neat to use, and simple to understand. The downside is that after use the cup may have a coating of medication on the inside and must be washed, this may be problematic if there is no water available at the time. Further, if the cup is not cleaned expeditiously, the remaining contents could become sticky and hard to clean. Another disadvantage is the potential for cross contamination from one user to another.
The dropper method is often used for administration of liquid medicine to infants or small children. The dropper shaft is usually marked for the dosage, for ease of filling from a bottle. The dropper is then placed in the patient""s mouth and the bulb is squeezed to release the medication. The dropper is washed and is either placed into a carton or a medication bottle for storage. One advantage is that infants and small children may not be able to drink liquid from a cup therefore, medication may be easily released directly into their mouth. Another advantage is that this method may be used to administer medication to those who may have difficulty in taking pills. The downside is that droppers are difficult to sterilize using tap water exclusively and cross contamination is probable, particularly since the dropper must be inserted into the medication, sometimes multiple times, to obtain the proper dose. Further difficulty can arise when filling the dropper if the bottle is almost empty.
In view of the above disclosure, it is the primary object of the invention is to provide a pre-filled medication in a disposable plastic container, such as a pipette, dropper or other similarly shaped device to orally administer the liquid medication. The container may be sized to accommodate a specific amount of medication for oral administration in one dose.
An important object of the invention is that the container is inherently colored, thus eliminating the need to add dyes to the medication. Typically, medication color is an important consideration for the purchase of the product, as color is representative of the brand or its generic equivalent. Further, the necessity of adding color to the medication is completely eliminated, thereby excluding this step in production.
Another object of the invention is directed to assist parents, or caregivers, ill the administration of medication to infants, as the container may be in an attractive shape such as animated character, which is intended to distract the infant and permit less difficult delivery of the medication.
Still another object of the invention is to provide attractive packaging, as a number of containers are stored in wide mouth, transparent plastic canisters for ease of transport and accessibility.
Yet another object of the invention is that the containers may be manufactured using a wide variety of methods, such as blow-fill-seal, vacuum chamber liquid filling, extrusion and other methods well known in the art.
In addition to the above objects of the invention it is also an object of the invention to provide a pre-filled liquid, disposable plastic container that:
is easy to use for infants and the elderly,
is portable,
is single use, no cross contamination,
has no sharp edges on the container,
uses standard labeling of dosages, and
uses colored plastic to eliminate the need for dyes in the medication.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.